Garment



Jan. 29, 1935.

J. L. ALBERTS GARMENT Filed Oct. 14, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR CEWQEW. @MQJ'WW ATTO R N EYS Jan. 29, 1935.

J. L. ALBERTS GARMENT Filed Oct. 14, 1932 2 Sheet-Sheet 2 INVENTOR W; 1. QM BY ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 29, 1935 PATENT OFFICE GARMENT Jacob L. Alberts, Yonkers, N. Y., assignor to Arthur 8. Alberta, New York, N. Y.

Application October 14, 1932, Serial No. 637,740

9 Claims.

This invention relates to garments for women and has for its object to provide a body garment such as a brassiere, corset or the like, which requires no-shoulder straps to maintain it in place over the bust.

It has heretofore been proposed to make garments of this character without shoulder straps by providing a tight fastening encircling the body above the bust, but such garments have not proven U successful, primarily because they are unsightly and also because a tight encircling binding at this point involves greater discomfort than the shoulder straps for which it is substituted.

The principal object of my invention is to provide garments of the class described, and analo-. gous garments, which although indistinguishable in appearance from similar garments of ordinary design, except for the absence of shoulder straps, will nevertheless retain their position on the body in all positions of the latter, even when the garment is out in the rear with the low back effect now in vogue.

A further object of the invention is to provide a garment of this class wherein the garment is held in place in the manner described without confining the breasts to any greater extent than customary with a garment of like character have made ofany soft material now em loyee. ior garments of like character, such as silk, lace, net and the like.

A further object of my invention is to provide .a garment of the kind described with means for holding it in place, which means is entirely concealed within the seams of the garment, the seams being of no greater width than customary in garments of like character.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated my invention as applied to several different types of garments, but it is to be understood that the invention is equally applicable to garments other than those selected for illustration.

In the said drawings:

Fig. 1 shows typical brassires embodying my invention as it appears when not in use;

Fig. 2 is a similar view but showing the relative position of the parts when tension is applied to the belt of the garment as when worn;

Fig. 3 shows the inner side of a portion of the garment as illustrated in Fig. 1 but on an enlarged scale, to better show the character and position of the holding member;

Fig. 4 shows one of the holding members removed from the garment in the position it assumes when the garment is in use;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 butwith the holding member in the position it assumes when removed from the garment and relieved of all tension;

Fig. 7 is a similar view but with the holding 5 member turned through an angle of 90;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the garment illustrated in the preceding-figures as appears when worn;

Figs. 9 and 10 are front and rear views, respectively, showing my invention applied to a garment of the corset or girdle type; and

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing my invention applied to another type of brassiere.

In Figs. 1 to 8 I have illustrated my invention as applied to a brassire of the bodice type. As here shown, 1 indicates the belt of the garment which, as is customary in garments of this kind. encircles the body of the wearer below the breasts but above the waist line (see Fig. 8). This belt portion is provided at the back with fasteners 2 as indicated, and with an elastic ertension 4 and elastic inserts 3 to insure a snug fit.

The upper part of the garment may also be of the usual construction comprising a covering for the bust having side portions 5 individually shaped to enclose the breasts of the wearer. The shaped portions 5 are made up in the usual fashion and beyond the shaped portions are the rearwardly extending portions 6 of generally triangular shape and connected to the portions 5 of the garment along a seam 7 which curves upwardly and outwardly from the belt portion of the garment, and thence inwardly over the top of the breasts. The lower edges of the shapedportions 5 are connected to the belt by a base seam 8 which extends along the top of the belt across the front under the other shaped portion 5 to a point where it connects with the other side portion 6. The belt 1 is shaped to project upwardly between the shaped portions 5, and the fabric of the garment constituting the shaped portions is made full so that each shaped portion assumes a convex semi-spherical contour when pressed outwardly.

On the inside of the seam '7 which extends from the belt around the outside of the shaped portions, there is sewn a narrow tape 12, shown partly removed in Fig. 3, to provide an invisible enclosure for a wire spring 13 of the shape shown in Figs. e to '7 inclusive. This wire is of circular cross section and each end is bent back upon itself to form a rounded loop 14 which will not penetrate through the cloth of the enclosing pocket. This wire is quite elastic but not stiff in the sense that a corsetstay is stiff. It is curved,

' as shown, in two directions. That is to say. con-.

after tho. first bend, as indicated in. Fig. 5, the

double curve of the wire resulting in the shape shown in Fig. 7. In the manufacturing on a commercial scale the wire is of course bent inn single operation and the resulting wire consists of a middle portion 8 curved on a flat arc, the

contiguous portions 9 continuing in the same are but also bent to\a lesser extent laterally from the plane of the middle portion, and extreme end portions 10 continuing in -the' 'dlrection of the curve of the arc but also extending more nearly in a plane parallel with the plane of the middle portiom The wire 13 is: substantially equal in length :to theseam 7 fromthepoint of connection with the belt portionof the garment to the point on therupper edge. ofitheshaped portion immediately over the middle thereof. That is to say, the 'wire encircles the outer half of the shaped portion and is tully concealed within the seam '7.

When the garment is not drawn together and fastened in the rear the curve of the wire is such as to lift the shaped portions of the garment above the position it will assume when the gem-- ment-is on tight, as shown inFigs. l and 2. That is to say, the arc of the wire is flatter than the curve of the seam '7 and tends tostretch the same out, shortening the upper marginal edge of the garmentsothat when-the garment is fastened around the body of the wearer in: the intended manner, the upper margin of the garment will be drawn down, causing the spring to bow into substantially circular form, conforming with the contour of the seam and encircling the breast along the outer side.

The lateral bend imparted to the wire in the i manner described causes. the wire, whenplaced under tension in the manner describedmto sub-- stantially conform to the contour of. the body andns the wire at the lowerendand that portion of the base seam is held in substantially fixed position by reason of its attachment to the snugly fitting belt the wire will be held in position following the curve of the body around the-base of the breasts and thus hold the garment in precisely the position it would be :held by ashoulder strapattached. to the-garment in the ueualman ner,..at about the point where the upper end of the wire terminates. The wire is flexible so as. to bend. readily when the garment is fastened, and is yet stiff enough to hold up the light weight of the garment by reason of the tensionunder which it is placed when the garment is fastened.

It will be understood that the garment is not drawn tight across the top .over the breasts. The upper edge of the garment has considerably greater fullness than the belt portion but is held smooth and close-to the body .by the tension of the springs 13, which. are highly elastic and bow to a greater or less extent as the movements of the body require.

The double curve in the spring tends to hold the upper edge of the garment snug over the breasts even when .bending over-forwardly, to a muohgreater extent than the usual shoulder straps. The-reason islthat in bending forward 1,ose,sos

the distance from the shoulder to the waist is considerably shortened, thus allowing the garment suspended from the shoulders to hang away from the body, whereas with my improved garment the upper edge will be pushed further up toward the shoulder and will continue to be held snug against the body.

' The springs 13 may be fastened permanently in-.-thosoams. 7 or may be 'madevrcmowoblens in-' dicated in Fig. 3. As here shown a small-opening 15 is provided on the upper edge of the seam ill-at the point where the end of the spring comes. The .spring is readily inserted through the small opening and may likewise be readily withdrawn,

as. will .be. obvious.

In.li.igs. .9-and 10, I haveshown my invention as applied to a garment of the corset or girdle type. Such agarment'fits tight around the body only up to the waist, as indicated in Fig. 10, which shows a rear view of a wearer of this type of garment. As will be ohvious iirom this figure. the garment may be out. very low in. the back, even below the bottom line of tho-brassiere, without mtermring witlrthe it of the garment in front.

Fig. 1.1 shows my imzention applied to the bandeautype of brassiere. Ina garment ot'this type only the bottom hem fits snugly around the body, the-slack in the upper'edge of the garment being taken up by the elasticity of the springs As garments of this type are not usually worn by women of heavy figures, a very light, flexible spring 13 will be sufllcient toh'ol'd the top of the garment imposition against the body of the wearer.

It will of course 'be understood that my invention is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described. butmay be variously modifled within the scope-of the appended claims.

' I claim:

l. .A garment oi. the-class. descrlbed'having a pair of breast pockets, 9. body-encirclingportion beneath said pockets,-and apair of springmires, said wires extending from the body-encircling portion, at respective positions beneath each breast pocket, upwardly around the outer side edges of said pockets and terminating at substantially the topcenters ofzsaid pockets for-holding the pockets in position, when the garment .isworn, without the'aid of shrmlder straps.-

2 A garment of. the class described having a pair of breast pockets, aseam extending around the outer edge of each pocket from the bottom to the top, and an elastic spring wire in each of said seams for holding the pockets in position, when the garment is worn, without the aid of shoulder straps, said wire extending upwardly from a position at the bottom of said pockets around the-outer edges thereof and terminating at substantially the-top centers of the pockets and being. :heldin bowed form under tension by the garment when the garment is being worn.

31. A garment of the class described having. a pair of breast pockets, a curved seam. extending around the outer side of each pocket from the bottom to the top, anelastic spring within each of said curved seams and extending from the bottom upwardly around the outer side edges of the respective pockets and terminating at sub-- stantially their top centers, the ends of said springs being spaced apartia-distmcesumcient to elongate thepooketsverticall when the garment is not being worn, and body-encircling band portions extending from the outer side edges of the pockets, whereby when the garmentis worn and tension is placed on saidbands the ends of the springs will be deformed towards each other and 4. A garment of the class described having a pair of breast pockets, a body-encircling poition beneath said pockets, a pair of curved seams, said seams extending respectively from the bodyencircling portion at positions at the bottom of each breast pocket upwardly around the outer edges of said respective pockets to the top edges thereof, a spring wire within each of said curved seams and extending from the bottom upwardly around the outer side edges of the respective pockets and terminating at substantially their top centers, the ends of said wires being spaced apart a distance sufflcient to elongate the pockets vertically when the garment is not being worn, and generally triangularly shaped portions extending outwardly from the outer edge of each pocket and secured along their lower -edges to said body-encircling portion, said body-encircling portion and the triangular portions extending from the outer edge of the pockets being adapted to fit the body snugly, when the garment is worn, to hold it in position upon the wearer and to cause the ends of the spring wires to be deformed towards each other and that portion of the upper front edge of the garment between the upper ends of the springs placed under tension and caused to lie against the body of the wearer.

5. A garment of the class described having a pair of breast pockets, an elastic spring wire adjacent the top of each pocket, the ends of said spring wires being spaced apart when the gar ment is not being worn adistance exceeding the greatest vertical dimension of the pockets when the garment is worn, a body-encircling band portion extending at least in part from the outer side edges of the pockets, whereby when the garment is worn and tension is placed on said band, the ends of the spring wires will be deformed towards each other and the upper front of the garment will be placed under tension and caused to lie against the body of the wearer.

7. A garment of the class described having a pair of breast pockets, each of which has an arched upper edge, a body-encircling portion beneath said pockets, a spring wire extending from the body-encircling portion and following the outer marginal edge of each pocket upwardly around said edge to substantially the top of each pocket, for at least in part holding the pockets in position against the body of the wearer when the garment is worn without the aid of shoulder straps, and a rearwardly extending connection between the outer side edge of each pocket and the body-encircling portion for deforming the spring wire and thereby assisting in holding the upper portion of each pocket in position upon the body of the wearer when the garment is worn and tension is placed upon the body-encircling portion.

8. A garment of the class described having a pair of breast pockets, each of which has an arched outer edge, a body-encircling portion beneath said pockets, a seam extending around the outer marginal edge of each pocket, a spring wire located in said seam and following the outer marginal edge of the pockets upwardly around said edge to substantially the top of each pocket, for at least in part holding the pockets in position against the body of the wearer when the garment is worn without the aid of shoulder straps, and a rearwardly extending connection between the outer side edge of each pocket and the body-encircling portion for deforming the spring wire and thereby assisting in holding the upper portion of each pocket in position upon the body of the wearer when the garment is worn and tension is placed upon the body-encircling portion.

9. A garment of the class described comprising a covering for the breasts, an elastic spring wire carried by said garment-at the sides of the breast-covering portion, said wire being normally curved to a bowed position in one plane and also curved in aplane transverse to said first-mentioned plane to thereby hold the upper margin of the aforesaid garment portion against dropping downwardly or away from the body.

JACOB L. ALBERTS. 

